sharkbait \\ h.s

19

Sometime between when I arrived home from Harry's and now, my father decided that I was in need of obtaining knowledge of the simply glorious fact of life that is sex.

For a second, I think about dropping the bomb about my non-virgin-ness, but my dad is seemingly excited about discussing this with me for the first time, so I decide singing over him as he speaks will be the safer option.

My dad opens his mouth. "Alright, California," he says uneasy. "So... How the hell do you start these things..." He inhales deeply. "When a boy and a girl love each other very much... and by boy, I mean man, and by girl I mean woman, and my very much I mean very, very, very--"

"Dad," I say when I see how uncomfortable this conversation is making him.

"I'm gonna make this short and sweet. And honest, okay? Is that okay? You didn't go to public school so you didn't get the same experiences as the other kids, so I'm not going to sugarcoat this." He takes a deep breath and puts his nub over my hand across the table. "Don't have sex, Cal." I raise a brow at him. "I'm serious. If I ever find out that any man went exploring in your sacred garden I will tear out my machete--"

"Dad." I place my hand over his wrist and look at him sympathetically. "One, you don't have a machete. Two, if you ever say anything about my 'sacred garden' again I will have you euthanized."

He sighs. "That's harsh."

"Well."

A few seconds pass before anything else is said. Then finally he pops the question: "Are you and Harry having sex?"

I blink. "What? No." Relief seems to wash over him, his face beginning to appear less tense. "Really dad. If I wanted to learn about this I would have come to you when I was sixteen. Or I'd watch the episode of Glee when Kurt's dad talks about this stuff with him. Come on."

"Was Kurt the gay one?"

"That's beside the point, dad."

"Gay sex is totally different than--"

"Dad!" I shout in a desperate attempt to shut the door to yet another terribly awkward conversation.

Suddenly, my father stands from his chair and walks into the kitchen and straight to the fridge, pulling out a cup of vanilla pudding. "Fine. You should call Ash. But when she's too busy with that pervy neighbor of her's to teach you about STDs and herpes, don't come crying to me."

"Herpes is an STD."

"Go call your aunt."

Rolling my eyes out of annoyance and frustration, I nod and leave the room quietly.

I do end up calling Ash, but only to be sent to voicemail three times in a row.

I need friends.

I shrug on my coat and slip my bare feet into my boots before leaving my dad's house. When I get out the door, I notice for the first time that you can just barely see the Golden Gate Bridge from the porch.

I start walking down the sidewalk toward Quigley's, which is about a thirty minute walk, but when I get there, I realize how worth it it is when I see Harry dressed in his waiter uniform, his hair pulled back in a small bun with two braids weaved back with it.

So this is what being turned on feels like.

Even when I had sex with Cameron, I didn't feel like this. That sex was sad. Like the kind you have after a funeral to get your mind off things but your mind is still reeling over your grandpa in that casket all pale and breathless and all you can think about is death and sad and crying and black. It was a pathetic excuse for a first time.

(Spoiler alert: losing your virginity is a lot less exciting than TV makes it look.)

My mouth suddenly feels dry and I'm at a loss for words when Harry notices me practically gaping at him from across the restaurant.

Harry smirks and waves to me quickly before turing to the customer, who looks at me like I'm what he's ordering off the menu.

After Harry scribbles the perv's order down on his pad, he walks over to me. "Hey, California."

I smile. "Hey."

"You visit me at work now? Did you miss me?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

His smile fades. "Oh, God. I knew it. I said it too soon didn't I? Damn it, man."

The way he looks so flustered makes me want to tell him I'm breaking up with him just so I can see him this vulnerable for longer, but when I realize how heartless that sounds, I get back on track. "Iloveyou," I say, fast enough to make sure I said it at all.

"Oh, that's a relief."

"Do you have a minute to talk?"

"After I get this creep his sandwich, of course. I'll meet you outside."

So I go outside and wait for him. I stand outside the door against the brick wall the same way I did when I first talked to Harry. It feels like it was such a long time ago that I thought he was just some cute waiter that I might end up hooking up with in the bathroom this summer, and now he's my boyfriend and I love him.

Soon enough, the doors open and Harry pops out, hopping down the stairs and skipping the last one. It sounded like it hurt when he landed.

"Okay." He smiles and grabs my hand. "I'm all yours."

A sudden jolt of electricity runs through me and I try to remember what I was going to say.

"I, uh... My dad... He, uh--" I inhale sharply, almost choking on the words. "My dad gave me the talk today."

"The talk?"

"The talk."

"Oh." Harry laughs. "The talk."

"Ye-ah."

"But you're not a virgin."

"I know. But my dad doesn't know that."

"You never told him?"

"Are you crazy? He said if he ever found out that I let any man explore my sacred garden that he'd--"

Harry pulls me closer to him and looks down on me. "He'd what?" His voice is slightly lower and raspier now, and I don't know if this tingling sensation is supposed to be some kind of trigger warning, but I ignore it and allow myself to look into Harry's eyes. They're darker than I've ever seen them.

My mind fights with itself over what to say or do at this point, and I feel like I may spontaneously combust at any second. "Nothing. He'd do nothing."

The closer we get the thicker the air seems to become and the warmer my body starts to feel. I hope I'm not sweating.

Harry pulls away. "I should, um, get back in there. Can't keep 'em waiting forever." And with that he hops back up the stairs and into the shop, leaving me alone and overwhelmed with a feeling I've never felt before today and no ideas of how to get rid of it.

--

THAT SUCKEDDDDDDD

I PROBS WILL NEVER WRITE ANY REAL SEXY TIME WITH CALI AND HARRY (we need a name for them, help pls) BC I ACTUALLY TRIED MAKING THIS CHAPTER A SEXY ONE BUT I AM A VIRGIN WITH ITHYPHALLOPHOBIA (its a real thing, google it) AND I JUST COULD NOT WRITE THAT KIND OF STUFF WITHOUT FEELING EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE SO IM SORRY

ALSO OMG 3K GUYS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING EVEN THOUGH IM SURE THIS BOOK PROBABLY SUCKS REAL BAD YALL ARE SUPER RAD AND I DIG YALL LOTS

and shoutout to anyone who watches/d glee lol. im like obsessed w it atm and the episode where burt has the talk with kurt is my absolute favorite.

VOTE AND COMMENT AND SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS LOL I LOVE YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY OR NIGHT OR AFTERNOON OR WHATEVER

-MEL :))) xxx